Contouring sanding system

ABSTRACT

A new Countouring  Contouring Sanding System for sanding various shapes of surfaces while providing the user an ergonomic sanding block decreasing wear on the user&#39;s hands. The inventive device includes an ergonomic sanding block, a template securing means attached to the ergonomic sanding block, and a molding template removably secured within the ergonomic sanding block by the template securing means.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to Sanding Devices and more particularlypertains to a new Countouring Contouring Sanding System for sandingvarious shapes of surfaces while providing the user an ergonomic sandingblock decreasing wear on the user's hands.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The use of Sanding Devices is known in the prior art. More specifically,Sanding Devices heretofore devised and utilized are known to consistbasically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations,notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded priorart which have been developed for the fulfillment of countlessobjectives and requirements.

Known prior art Sanding Devices include U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,308; U.S.Pat. No. 5,168,672; Design U.S. Pat. No. 340,853; Design U.S. Pat. No.319,766; U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,011 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,975,868.

While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives andrequirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a newCountouring Contouring Sanding System. The inventive device includes anergonomic sanding block, a template securing means attached to theergonomic sanding block, and a molding template removably secured withinthe ergonomic sanding block by the template securing means.

In these respects, the Countouring Contouring Sanding System accordingto the present invention substantially departs from the conventionalconcepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides anapparatus primarily developed for the purpose of sanding various shapesof surfaces while providing the user an ergonomic sanding blockdecreasing wear on the user's hands.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types ofSanding Devices now present in the prior art, the present inventionprovides a new Countouring Contouring Sanding System constructionwherein the same can be utilized for sanding various shapes of surfaceswhile providing the user an ergonomic sanding block decreasing wear onthe user's hands.

The general purpose of the present invention, which will be describedsubsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new CountouringContouring Sanding System apparatus and method which has many of theadvantages of the Sanding Devices mentioned heretofore and many novelfeatures that result in a new Countouring Contouring Sanding Systemwhich is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even impliedby any of the prior art Sanding Devices, either alone or in anycombination thereof.

To attain this, the present invention generally comprises an ergonomicsanding block, a template securing means attached to the ergonomicsanding block, and a molding template removably secured within theergonomic sanding block by the template securing means.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the invention in order that the detailed description thereofthat follows may be better understood, and in order that the presentcontribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additionalfeatures of the invention that will be described hereinafter and whichwill form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of theinvention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited in its application to the details of construction and to thearrangements of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways.Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminologyemployed herein are for the purpose of description and should not beregarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception,upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the present invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially thescientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiarwith patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from acursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure ofthe application. The abstract is neither intended to define theinvention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is itintended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a newCountouring Contouring Sanding System apparatus and method which hasmany of the advantages of the Sanding Devices mentioned heretofore andmany novel features that result in a new Countouring Contouring SandingSystem which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or evenimplied by any of the prior art Sanding Devices, either alone or in anycombination thereof.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a newCountouring Contouring Sanding System which may be easily andefficiently manufactured and marketed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a newCountouring Contouring Sanding System which is of a durable and reliableconstruction.

An even further object of the present invention is to provide a newCountouring Contouring Sanding System which is susceptible of a low costof manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and whichaccordingly is them susceptible of low prices of sale to the consumingpublic, thereby making such Countouring Contouring Sanding Systemeconomically available to the buying public.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a newCountouring Contouring Sanding System which provides in the apparatusand methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, whilesimultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associatedtherewith.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a newCountouring Contouring Sanding System for sanding various shapes ofsurfaces while providing the user an ergonomic sanding block decreasingwear on the user's hands.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a newCountouring Contouring Sanding System which includes an ergonomicsanding block, a template securing means attached to the ergonomicsanding block, and a molding template removably secured within theergonomic sanding block by the template securing means.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a newCountouring Contouring Sanding System that conforms to the shape of theuser's hands thereby reducing the stresses involved with sanding.

Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a newCountouring Contouring Sanding System that sands the object's surfaceevenly.

These together with other objects of the invention, along with thevarious features of novelty which characterize the invention, arepointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming apart of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention,its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses,reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptivematter in which there is illustrated embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and objects other than those setforth above will become apparent when consideration is given to thefollowing detailed description thereof. Such description makes referenceto the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a new Countouring Contouring Sanding Systemaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view thereof showing the thumb fossa and the fingerfilisters.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view disclosing the template cavity demountablyretaining the first template.

FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of the third template.

FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of the second template.

FIG. 6 is a lower perspective view an alternative embodiment comprisinga gel filled sanding block.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view taken along line 7—7 of FIG. 6disclosing the gel solution and the resilient gel container securedwithin the ergonomic sanding block.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through7 thereof, a new Countouring Contouring Sanding System embodying theprinciples and concepts of the present invention and generallydesignated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.

More specifically, it will be noted that the Countouring ContouringSanding System 10 comprises an ergonomic sanding block 20 rectangularshaped, a template securing means 30 positioned within the ergonomicsanding block 20, a molding template 40 removably secured within theergonomic sanding block 20 by the template securing means 30, and anabrasive paper sheet 12 secured to the bottom side of the moldingtemplate 40 by a sanding flange 21 secured around a perimeter of thebottom side.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5, it can be shown that theergonomic sanding block 20 includes a sanding flange 21 surrounding thelower portion of the ergonomic sanding block 20. At least two thumbfossa 22 are positioned near both of the upper portion of the elongatedsides as best shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings. The two thumb fossa 22are depressions into the elongated sides for allowing both thumbs of theuser improved gripping during operation of the present invention. Atleast four finger filisters 24 are positioned near one end on the topportion of the ergonomic sanding block 20 as best shown in FIG. 2 of thedrawings. The four finger filisters 24 are elongated grooves into thetop portion of the ergonomic sanding block 20 for allowing the fingersof the user improved gripping. A template cavity 26 is positioned withinthe bottom side of the ergonomic sanding block shaped to receive themolding template 40 as best shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings. The moldingtemplate 40 is formed to various shapes including a first template 42, asecond template 44, and a third template 46 as shown in FIGS. 3-5 of thedrawings. A pin aperture 28 is centrally positioned into the verticalside of the ergonomic sanding block 20 near the finger filisters 24terminating into the template cavity 26. Another pin aperture 28 ispositioned into the opposite vertical side of the ergonomic sandingblock 20 terminating into the template cavity 26 as best shown in FIG. 3of the drawings. The template securing means 30 includes a compressionspring 34 positioned within the pin aperture 28 of the ergonomic sandingblock 20. A release pin 32 projects through each compression spring 34and further through the pin aperture 28 into the template cavity 26,where the release pin 32 terminates removably into the molding template40. The molding template 40 includes a pin passage 48 centrallypositioned at one end and another pin passage 48 centrally positioned atthe opposite end. The release pins 32 project into respective pinpassages 48 demountably securing the molding template 40 within thetemplate cavity 26 of the ergonomic sanding block 20 as shown in FIG. 3of the drawings wherein the release pins 32 snugly engage the moldingtemplate 40 for preventing longitudinal movement of the molding template40. The molding template 40 is further formed to various shapes so as toevenly sand various shapes of objects. The molding template 40 isprevented from rotating because the molding template 40 is juxtaposed toan upper surface of the template cavity 26.

In an alternative embodiment as shown in FIGS. 6-7 of the drawings, agel filled sanding block 70 includes an ergonomic sanding block 20 thatis rectangular shaped. A sanding flange 21 surrounds the lower portionof the ergonomic sanding block 20. At least two thumb fossa 22 arepositioned near both of the upper portion of the elongated sides of theergonomic sanding block 20. At least four finger filisters 24 arepositioned near one end on the top portion of the ergonomic sandingblock 20. A gel container aperture 76 is positioned within the bottomside of the ergonomic sanding block 20 formed to receive a resilient gelcontainer 74. An abrasive paper sheet 12 is secured to the bottom sideof the gel container so as to sand various shapes of surfaces. Theresilient gel container 74 contains a gel solution 72 so as to conformto various shapes.

In use, the user releases the release pins 32 allowing insertion of themolding template 40. The user inserts the molding template 40 into thetemplate cavity 26 and thereafter engages the release pins 32 to themolding template 40. The user then secures an abrasive paper sheet 12 tothe bottom side of the molding template 40. The user then manually sandsvarious shapes of objects providing an even sanding area.

As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of thepresent invention, the same should be apparent from the abovedescription. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the mannerof usage and operation will be provided.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized thatthe optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, toinclude variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and mannerof operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obviousto one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to thoseillustrated in the drawings and described in the specification areintended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications andchanges will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is notdesired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operationshown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications andequivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of theinvention.

What is claimed as being new and desired to be protected by LettersPatent of the United States is as follows:
 1. A Contouring SandingSystem comprising: an ergonomic sanding block substantially rectangularshaped having a lower portion, an upper portion, a top surface, a bottomsurface, a pair of elongated sides, a vertical side and an oppositevertical side; a template securing means positioned within the ergonomicsanding block; a molding template removably secured within the ergonomicsanding block by the template securing means; an abrasive paper sheetsecured to a bottom side of the molding template; and the ergonomicsanding block includes: a sanding flange surrounding the lower portionof the ergonomic sanding block; at least two thumb fossa positioned intothe upper portion of the elongated sides; at least four finger filisterspositioned into the top surface; a template cavity projecting into thebottom surface of the sanding block shaped to receive the moldingtemplate; and a pin aperture centrally positioned into the vertical sidenear the finger filisters terminating into the template cavity andanother pin aperture into the opposite vertical side terminating intothe template cavity.
 2. The Contouring Sanding System of claim 1,wherein the template securing means includes: a compression springslidably positioned within each of the pin apertures within theergonomic sanding block; and a release pin projecting through thecompression spring and further through the pin aperture into thetemplate cavity, where the release pin terminates removably into themolding template.
 3. The Contouring Sanding System of claim 2, whereinthe molding template includes a pin passage centrally positioned at oneend and another pin passage centrally positioned at an opposite end,where the release pins project into respective pin passages demountablysecuring the molding template within the template cavity of theergonomic sanding block.
 4. The Countouring Contouring Sanding System ofclaim 3, wherein the molding template is further formed to variousshapes so as to evenly sand various shapes of objects.
 5. A contouredsanding system comprising: an ergonomic sanding block having a lowerportion, an upper portion, a top surface, a bottom surface, and a pairof elongated sides, a vertical side and an opposite vertical side; asanding flange surrounding the lower portion of the ergonomic sandingblock; a thumb fossa formed in the upper portion of each of theelongated sides of the ergonomic sanding block, each of the fossaextending into the top surface of the sanding block; at least two fingerfilisters formed in the top surface of the ergonomic sanding block; agel container aperture defined by the sanding flange and the bottomsurface of the ergonomic sanding block; a resilient gel containerpositioned in the gel container aperture of the ergonomic sanding block,the gel container having a bottom side; a gel solution contained in thegel container for permitting the gel container to conform to variousshapes; and an abrasive paper sheet secured to the bottom side of thegel container.
 6. A contoured sanding system comprising: a sanding blockhaving a lower portion, an upper portion, a top surface, a bottomsurface, and a pair of elongated sides, a first end and a second end; atemplate securing means positioned on the sanding block; a moldingtemplate removably secured to the sanding block by the template securingmeans; and an abrasive secured to a bottom side of the molding template;wherein the sanding block includes: a fossa formed in the upper portionof each of the elongated sides of the sanding block, each of the fossaextending into the top surface of the sanding block; and at least twofinger filisters formed in the top surface of the sanding block; whereinthe template securing means includes a sanding flange surrounding thelower portion of the sanding block.
 7. A contoured sanding systemcomprising: a sanding block having a lower portion, an upper portion, atop surface, a bottom surface, and a pair of elongated sides, a firstend and a second end; a template securing means positioned on thesanding block; a molding template removably secured to the sanding blockby the template securing means; and an abrasive secured to a bottom sideof the molding template; wherein the sanding block includes: a fossaformed in the upper portion of each of the elongated sides of thesanding block, each of the fossa extending into the top surface of thesanding block; and at least two finger filisters formed in the topsurface of the sanding block; wherein the template securing meansincludes a template cavity projecting into the bottom surface of thesanding block shaped to receive the molding template.
 8. A contouredsanding system comprising: a sanding block having a lower portion, anupper portion, a top surface, a bottom surface, and a pair of elongatedsides, a first end and a second end; a template securing meanspositioned on the sanding block; a molding template removably secured tothe sanding block by the template securing means; and an abrasivesecured to a bottom side of the molding template; wherein the sandingblock includes: a fossa formed in the upper portion of each of theelongated sides of the sanding block, each of the fossa extending intothe top surface of the sanding block; and at least two finger filistersformed in the top surface of the sanding block; wherein each of theelongated sides has a substantially planar surface and each fossa issurrounded toward the bottom surface and the first and second ends bythe substantially planar surface of the elongated side.